1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for fully electronic identity authentication, with particular application to electronic election registration and voting.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The elections process has come under increasing scrutiny over the years. In particular, voting machine failures, confusing or incorrect ballots, confusion over voting locations, and mishandled absentee ballots have been held out as focal points in recent elections.
Typically, a person intending to vote must register prior to an election. On an election day a person must then locate their assigned polling location, as well as navigate what can be can be a complex ballot or balloting machine.
Even more problematic is the case of an absentee voter, one who will be out of the voting jurisdiction or unable to travel to the polling location on an election day. For example, registration for absentee balloting must take place well before the election. An absentee ballot is then provided to the absentee voter, generally by mail. The absentee voter must then complete the ballot and return it to the absentee voter's local election office by a specific date, again, generally by mail. Aside from the obvious issues associated with using the mail for timely delivery of the ballot, there exist many additional opportunities for an absentee ballot to be mishandled.
For a voter who is absent from their jurisdiction or a voter living in a foreign country the issues associated with using the mail may be amplified considerably. The need to mail a ballot early enough to arrive at a local election office on or before the scheduled deadline may limit an absentee voter's ability to review information concerning the issues and candidates associated with an election. For example, due to the mailing requirements of an absentee ballot, an absentee voter may not have an opportunity to view or read about candidate debates that may occur after the absentee voter has cast and mailed their ballot but before the day of the actual election.
These and other deficiencies exist in current voting solutions. Therefore, a solution to these problems is needed, providing an improved voting solution, including the ability for an absentee voter to register to vote, receive their ballot and to securely cast his or her ballot so that it is counted in an election.